The present invention relates generally to the manufacture of lasted shoes and more particularly to an improved manner of temporarily fastening the flaps of uppers, provided with opposed rows of eyelets, for the lasting operation.
It has been conventional in the field of shoe manufacturing to fasten the uppers of the shoe to the sole in a lasting operation during which time the uppers are positioned over a last for attachment to the shoe sole in a predetermined configuration depending upon style considerations. During the lasting step the uppers are stretched over the last and are subjected to various stresses which, unless adequately compensated for, commonly result in a lasted shoe in which such uppers are deformed so that they do not possess the intended shape. Thus, the carefully created aesthetic appearance of the shoe will not have been attained. Further, unless the uppers are maintained in proper relationship to the sole during the lasting operation there is the possibility of improper securement of the sole to the upper and the consequent production of a defective shoe.
In the manufacture of lasted shoes of the type in which the uppers comprise a pair of flaps having respective sets of eyelets by means of which the shoe is laced over the instep of the foot the flaps are temporarily fastened during the lasting step. In this manner the correct relationship between upper and sole and the configuration for the uppers can be maintained during lasting. In this connection it has been conventional to fasten the flaps in such correct relative position by the use of temporary lacing or twine or through the use of various other fastening devices. The following patents disclose representative prior techniques and devices for maintaining the uppers in correct position during the lasting operation:
U.S. Pat. No. 234,488 issued Nov. 16, 1880 to McKay & Fairfield PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 657,852 issued Sept. 11, 1900 to E. E. Canedy PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 688,297 issued Dec. 10, 1901 to W. E. Ellis PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,131,490 issued May 5, 1964 to T. C. Rowen
Although the expedients adopted by the prior art, such as exemplified by the disclosures in the aforesaid patents, have proven to be generally satisfactory insofar as maintenance of the uppers in proper positional relationship is concerned, they have, by and large, failed to alleviate the bottleneck thus created at the end of the production line. In many instances use of temporary lacing has necessitated resort to manual labor in connection with the fastening and/or unfastening of the flaps of the uppers leading to varying degrees of slowdowns on the production line. Even the use of relatively expensive machinery, particularly with forms of fastening devices other than temporary lacing, has failed to clear the production line of the bottleneck immediately prior to and subsequent to the lasting operation attributable to the fastening and unfastening of the flaps of the uppers. There has, therefore, been an ongoing need for an expeditious and inexpensive manner of effecting the temporary fastening and then the unfastening of the upper flaps prior to and subsequent to the lasting operation.